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The Science Show|Science Show - 2008-03-29 Episode
Humans - built for long-distance running?
Daniel Lieberman is interested in what makes the human body look the way it does. His passion is running. There are features over our whole body which help us to run well. One is the toes. Short toes help running. Tendons in the leg act as springs. These evolved around 2 million year ago. The bum tenses with every stride, preventing the trunk from pitching forward. There are features in the spine, neck and head. These all make us good long-distance runners but have no use in walking. Daniel Lieberman suggests we were good hunters on the savannas of Africa.
Whitby fossils
Whitby, the historic town in North Yorkshire on the north-east coast of England, is known for its fossils. Paul Willis walks on a rock platform with local palaeontologist, Byron Blessed.
Hydrogen considered as a fuel for air transport
Hydrogen is being considered as a fuel for use in air travel. The A2 is designed to travel at Mach 5 or more than twice the speed of Concorde. But there could be big environmental costs. Naomi Fowler reports.
BMW´s Hydrogen 7
BMW is developing a hydrogen-powered car. Dave Bean describes its virtues to Robyn Williams.
Eris - a dwarf planet
There are eight big things in the Solar System. These are the planets. There are lots of little things, including dwarf planets. Eris is a dwarf planet and lies three times further away than Pluto. It has a single moon, Dysnomia, who in Greek mythology is Eris's daughter and the demon spirit of lawlessness.
[ Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +1000 ]
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